Teams representing Puerto Rico and Mexico, both receiving support from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program, successfully secured podium finishes at the recent Zapopan stop of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour, held in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area.
In the women’s tournament, Maria Gonzalez and Allanis Navas of Puerto Rico impressively claimed the gold medal. Silver was awarded to USA`s Michelle Shaffer and Rachael Kramer, while Kailin Garrido and Maykelin Drik from Cuba earned the bronze.
For the men’s competition, the Mexican pair of Jose Angel Cardenas and Jorman Osuna took home the silver medal. The gold went to USA`s Evan Cory and Derek Bradford, and Damian Gomez and Eblis Veranes of Cuba secured the bronze.
Puerto Rico`s Women`s Team Dominates
The Federacion Puertorriquena de Voleibol`s beach volleyball initiatives are significantly backed by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, which has provided USD 168,000 for coach support and an additional USD 17,500 for beach volleyball equipment. Under the guidance of coach Angel Pena, the second-seeded duo of Gonzalez and Navas showcased a formidable performance in Zapopan. They advanced convincingly to the final, winning all four preliminary matches without dropping a single set. Their semifinal match saw them defeat Canada`s Akash Grewal and Katarina Pantovic with a solid 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) victory.
The final proved to be a more challenging encounter against the sixth-seeded Americans Shaffer and Kramer. Despite losing the first set, Gonzalez and Navas mounted a powerful comeback to win 2-1 (14-21, 21-18, 15-9), ultimately triumphing as tournament champions. This remarkable win marks their fifth continental gold medal in five appearances on the NORCECA Tour this year. Overall, the 23-year-old Puerto Rican athletes now boast 18 medals in their Tour collection, with half of them being gold.
In the other women`s semifinal, Shaffer and Kramer battled to a hard-fought 2-1 (21-12, 17-21, 15-11) victory over the 10th-seeded Cuban pair, Kailin and Drik, to secure their medal finish in their NORCECA Tour debut as a team. The 21-year-old Cubans then bounced back in the bronze medal match, achieving a 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) shutout against Grewal and Pantovic to claim their second continental medal, having also won bronze earlier in the year.
Mexico`s Men`s Team Secures Silver
Mexico`s national teams in both beach volleyball and indoor volleyball have been major beneficiaries of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, receiving a total of USD 1,328,000 in coach support and USD 23,000 in beach volleyball equipment. The men`s beach volleyball national duos train under the supervision of Argentinean coach Ruben Barrera and his dedicated staff.
The home pairing of Cardenas and Osuna, seeded 12th in the men`s main draw, experienced only two defeats throughout the Zapopan event, both at the hands of the eventual champions, USA`s Evan Cory and Derek Bradford. After a dominant 2-0 (21-12, 21-13) sweep in their semifinal against Canada`s Robert Kemp and Cameron Chadwick, the Mexican duo faced the Americans in the final, conceding a 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) defeat to secure a well-earned silver medal. This marks their second medal in as many appearances together on the NORCECA Tour.
Cory and Bradford made a resounding statement at the tournament, losing only one set across six matches. They celebrated their NORCECA Tour debut as a team with a gold medal. In their semifinal, they secured a convincing 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) victory over the 10th-seeded Cuban pair, Gomez and Veranes. The Cubans then successfully made it to the podium by defeating Kemp and Chadwick 2-0 (21-14, 23-21) for the bronze, marking their third consecutive continental medal.
The Zapopan event saw the participation of 14 women’s and 15 men’s teams, representing 12 different federations.
The 2025 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tour is set to continue with its eighth stop in San Salvador, El Salvador, scheduled from September 12 to 14.
